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"Biologist: Tsunami Debris Overwhelming in Spots"

"Debris that gathered this past summer on Alaska's Kayak Island made walking on its beaches feel like walking through a natural disaster zone, a federal biologist said Thursday."

"Jacek Maselko, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Juneau, Alaska, said he was somewhat skeptical about what he would find when he and a team embarked on a survey of marine debris along Alaska's coastline. Although the survey was conducted last summer, between June and August, it took time for researchers to assess what they had found. Maselko talked about the findings Thursday with The Associated Press.

NOAA typically conducts such surveys in the state every 5 to 10 years. This year's work coincided with concerns about debris washing ashore from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan."